CIF-SS FOOTBALL: Bulldogs' Johnson comes through when title is on the line

WALNUT - Numbers have never told the story of West Covina High School quarterback George Johnson.

Even in Friday's CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division championship game, Johnson finished with a modest night, completing 5 of 8 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs' come-from-behind 37-33 victory over Bonita that gave them their second title and first since 2004.

But he was so much better than that. Maybe clutch is the definitive word.

Even though Johnson's counterpart, Bonita's Garrett Pendleton, had the game of his life by throwing for 357 yards and leading the Bearcats on what appeared to be a game-winning drive, setting up Brandt Davis' 39-yard field goal with 1:45 left to give the Bearcats a 33-30 lead, Johnson never wavered, buckling his chinstrap for a final opportunity in front of an overflow crowd at Walnut High School.

One of the lingering questions entering Friday's game was what would West Covina do if it asked Johnson to lead it on a final drive with the seconds ticking away, something he hasn't had to do all year and which is out of his comfort zone since the Bulldogs ran most of their opponents off the field.

But there he was, on his birthday, starting at the 20-yard line with 1:45 left, asked to lead his team to a title.

"George has led us for three years," Bulldogs coach Mike Maggiore said. "There was no question we wanted the ball in his hands. We felt good as long as we stayed within range that George would move the ball with his legs, arms or his determination.

"It wasn't an ideal situation, but we were comfortable with him in it."

Johnson already had shown his form early in the fourth quarter, throwing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Haigler to tie the score 23-23 with 10:23 left as both teams went back and forth.

On the final drive, Johnson opened it with a 13-yard pass to Anthony Molina, then turned what appeared to be a stop at the line of scrimmage into a 9-yard run - not allowing his body to go down.

"It's the championship," Johnson said. "Whatever it takes, you have to keep fighting. That's what I kept telling myself, just keep fighting."

He kept battling, then got a break after an unsportsmanlike call against the Bearcats moved the Bulldogs past midfield to the 38 with 54 seconds left.

That was enough time for Chris Solomon to do his thing, running for 20 yards, followed by Aaron Salgado's punishing 17-yard run to the Bonita 1 with 32 seconds left.

There was no question where the ball was going next.

Johnson kept it, scoring from a yard out with 25 seconds left for the go-ahead score.

It was an amazing finish for a quarterback who hasn't been asked to be amazing all season.

"It feels great winning like this," Johnson said. "Bonita played a heck of a game, they brought this out in us. They stopped our run for a while and we had to pass here and there.

"(On the final drive), I trusted myself and my teammates. I don't know how to explain it, this is so unreal right now. We worked so hard and to win it this way, having to dig it out, it doesn't get any better than this."

Solomon was his usual self, rushing for 149 yards and three touchdowns.

But even he had to give it up to his senior quarterback.

"George Johnson, he never gets the credit he deserves," Solomon said. "He's our rock out there. He got big yards when we needed big yards and was calm under pressure.

"Man, what can you say, he was outstanding tonight and we won a championship."

Kind of fitting in a game that had several twists and turns, Johnson's teammates were chanting "M-V-P" while he was giving interviews.

"He has a lot of heart," Solomon said of Johnson. "That's how he plays, with a lot of heart."